Summer Reading

I’ve been on a bit of a reading kick this summer and decided I should make more use of the public library. I’ve always visited it when I specifically needed something, but felt like I wasn’t maximizing its potential.

This August, the Summerfest 4-Mile Run we normally organize with the Sayville Chamber of Commerce is also serving as a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Sayville Library. Folks from the library have been involved in the planning of the race, and so I’ve been spurred on by the extra time I’ve spent in the building going to meetings. It has forced me visit some community rooms that I hadn’t known about previously and got me in the mood to explore.

So when my wife said she was going to join the adult summer reading program, I decided to join her. My parents had always signed me up for the kid’s version when I was little, and I have fond memories of coloring pictures and filling out mini-book reports. The adult version isn’t much different if you ignore the lack of crayons. For every book you read, you write a little summary about it and it gets you a raffle ticket. You can enter this ticket into a drawing for either a Kindle or a gift basket that contains prizes from around town. I’ve been trying for the gift basket since it has a few things that would make both my wife and I happy. I could use the movie tickets, she’d enjoy the spa gift certificates, and we’d both love the food gift cards.

To be honest, I don’t even really care so much about the raffle part, but just the act of signing up for the program has really motivated me to read more for my own enjoyment. I’ve read a few crime novels, Dwight Gooden’s new autobiography, Chuck Klosterman’s new book of essays and a book on New York City history. They’re all titles that I’ve meant to pick up for a while, but hadn’t gotten around to. Frequent trips means we’ve also been picking up some movies while we’re there as well. The experience has been a great reminder of how much great entertainment and education is available, and all of it for free.

Brendan Barrett is the owner of Sayville Running Co. Follow him on Twitter @SayvilleRunning.